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About DERP

HISTORY OF DERP

In 2000, the State of Oregon Medicaid program experienced a 60% increase in Medicaid drug spending in one year. In the face of faltering state revenues, Oregon began looking for ways to limit pharmacy expenditures. The state passed legislation which instituted a preferred drug list (PDL) for which effectiveness of drugs was to be considered first. If drugs were found to be equally effective, considerations would then be given to cost.

To obtain the best available information about the effectiveness of drugs on the market, the State of Oregon began collaborating with the Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center (Pacific Northwest EPC) to produce systematic reviews of drug classes.

Washington and Idaho were also interested in Oregon’s evidence-based approach toward a PDL, and the three states formed a collaboration with the Pacific Northwest EPC. Realizing the utility of shared resources, additional states and non-profit entities joined the collaboration, and the project was formed in 2003. It eventually expanded to a national effort to provide the best available evidence about pharmaceuticals to policy makers.

BENEFITS OF DERP

The benefits of DERP membership include providing a collaborative network for policy makers to share information, and obtaining the best available evidence on effectiveness and safety comparisons between drugs to drive policymaking decisions. The following evidence & policy tools are provided to Participating Organizations:

In collaboration with the EPC, DERP members determine the key questions that guide each review. These elements allow the participating organizations to be responsive to the needs of their individual populations.

Summary documents of full systematic reviews (including executive summaries and P&T Committee briefs) that are not available to the public.

Access to the DERP proprietary website that houses all DERP documents for easy, 24-hour-a-day retrieval.